Get the “Judas” out of You

I teach Elders Quorum (men’s group) once a month and this month we focused on the excellent talk given last April by Jeffery R Holland, one of the 12 apostles entitled “None Were With Him.”

The talk focuses on Jesus’ journey to the cross the week before his crucifixtion and all the hardships he faced so he could die for our sins. It’s a very moving talk that I wrote about last April.

We read about Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. We discussed what led up to him betraying Jesus. All of us agreed that greed, selfishness, fear, jealousy, and other sins all left unchecked within Judas led up to his betrayal.

We then stopped and analyzed ourselves. We’re all human as well. How often are we tempted to be greedy, selfish, and to have fear instead of faith? Judas’ experience shows us what can happen if we leave things unchecked.

The question then for all of us is what can we do to “get the Judas” out of us and overcome feelings of sin that can ultimately lead us away from Jesus?

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There’s a Gnostic Gospel (The Gospel of Judas) which states that Judas betrayed Jesus because Jesus asked him to do it. Additionally, Pres Kimball made a statement that Peter denied Jesus 3 times because Jesus asked him to do that. I think this reasoning could be applied similarly to Judas, especially in light of the Gnostic text.

If Jesus didn’t ask Judas to betray him, when Jesus dipped his sop, why didn’t all the apostles rush and attack Judas to prevent him from betraying Jesus?

All of us agreed that greed, selfishness, fear, jealousy, and other sins left unchecked in Judas led up to his betrayal.”

I think that it was wise of you all to reexamine your position. Not that these elements may not have played a part, but his motives are not really spelled out in scripture (although it is safe to say that the writers of the Gospels were not fond of him, once referring to him as a thief). Since his “role” that he would play in the cruxificion – an hence, the atonement – was foreknown (implicitly in the OT and explicitly to Jesus), the motive becomes much more complex.

As MH stated, in the Gospel of Judas, Judas is not only asked by Jesus to turn him over but was promised great leadership in the eternities for doing so: “you will be cursed by the other generations – and you will rule over them”. But, of course, that was just from the 3rd century writing of those whacky gnostics. Still, one cannot help wondering if Judas “Iscariot” (a word which we still wonder about, but which is remarkably similar to “scarii”, the little knives that were a trademark of the jewish zealots, Simon Zealotes being one of those) if there were not political motivations behind Judas. Possibly, an attempt to push Jesus to the forefront to become the warrior messiah that many were anticipating. Again, who knows?

I also agree with MH about the need for a reevaluation the the “denial” by Peter, which President Kimball addressed in “Peter, My Brother”.

You are right to put Peter and Judas in the same boat. Both betrayed Jesus in their own way. Both were very zealous for their cause: Peter, who had vowed to defend Jesus; Judas, who turned against Jesus when Jesus had allowed the woman to pour costly perfume on his feet. (As mentioned, Scripture verifies that Judas was not a philanthropist, but a thief.)

Judas is also described as one “destined for destruction,” not because God hard-wired him that way, but but because he had fixed his heart on money, temporal power and fame–all of which Jesus avoided. The path of this disciple was determined not by God but by the desire of Judas’ heart. The will of Judas was resolved to work against the will of Jesus; but so had Peter, when he urged Jesus not to speak about having to suffer and die. At this, the Lord rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan!”

Anyway, both Judas and Peter sinned. They had denied the Lord of life. Jesus was not pleased with either one of them–but Jesus was well aware of the actions each would take. It was not fate that moves them forward to betray and deny Jesus; it was the will of the Father that Jesus suffer at the hands of ALL men: by his enemies, of course, but even by his friends and by the desires of his chosen disciples. Everyone deserts Jesus. The death of Jesus also reveals that even the most noble and virtuous justice, Pontius Pilate, objective and resolute, powerful and virtuous, bends under the weight of political pressure. There is nothing that goes the way of Jesus–because nothing could. It was the full purpose of the Father that Jesus would become the sufficient payment for out sin. Nothing aided Jesus in his suffering, except the resolve of those seeking revenge, those quick to shed blood, those who loved money, those who loved their own life, those who loved power, more than they loved that which was holy and good.

Avoid the love of money? Sure, that’s biblical. But it’s not the point of the betrayal at the hands of Judas. The betrayal was just symptomatic of all that is wrong with us.

Judas and Peter sinned grievously against God. But so have we all. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” But there is also one who atones for our sins–and not our sins alone, but for the sins of the whole world. And the one-time sacrifice of Jesus is sufficient for us.

Judas and Peter betrayed their Lord, the One whose death atoned for their own sins. Both had remorse for their actions, but each reacted differently. Peter repented of his sins, weeping bitterly for his denial. Judas was tormented by his sin and saw no relief but in death alone. Lacking faith in God and now lacking faith in himself and in his future, Judas hangs himself. With a weakened faith, but with one that still fears, loves and trusts in God, Peter throws himself on the mercyseat of the almighty Lord.

Jesus went forward to be the Savior. Just as he was the only one who could redeem the people by his innocent suffering and death, he is the only one who mediates for us and who restores us. The risen Christ forgives and restores Peter–in the same three-fold way that Peter had been driven to deny him.

Do not wonder if you will be a Judas, for the sake of your love of money. Resolve to know the Living Lord Jesus, whose blood sets you free of all your sins and becomes the desire of your life.

BTW,
Gnosticism is a platonic-based philosophy that does not accept the notion that the holy God would have anything to do with the earthly and the mortal. Gnostic Christians abhorred the idea that Jesus was divine and underwent death to be the propitiation for the sins of mankind. Gnostics like to think they had the “hidden knowledge” about Jesus–his “hidden years” in the orient, his escape from death as he switches places with Simon of Cyrene. The notion that Jesus arranged for Judas to betray him runs in that same vein.

As mentioned, Christians didn’t buy into that notion. They kept the scriptures that were passed along as genuine and stayed clear of those fictional accounts that altered what they knew to be true.

It’s interesting–to me, at least!–that Islam accepts only a Jesus who is a mortal prophet. Although many Muslims concede that Jesus is the Son of God and holy, they will not accept the notion that Jesus died for anyone’s sins. At this point many become passionately virulent and anti-Christian. As a religion constructed 700 years after Christ, it really shows itself to be a truly gnostic religion based on laws and precepts designed to win favor with God by their works, their pilgrimages and their deeds and not by virtue of their faith in a God that brings forgiveness, redemption and salvation as a gift to all mankind.